Thirty-nine people have been arrested and drugs with a value of more than £700,000 seized during police raids across Merthyr Tydfil and the Rhondda .

South Wales Police executed eight search warrants in “priority” exercises carried out on Wednesday and Thursday as part of a community policing drive targeting locations identified as areas of concern.

Officers made 39 arrests for offences including possession with intent to supply, assault, money laundering, theft, threats to kill and burglary.

Tackling violence and anti-social behaviour

South Wales Police chief inspector Cath Larkman said: “Through our continued engagement with the public and partners, a number of local policing priorities were identified within Merthyr and the Rhondda and the two days of action provided us with an excellent opportunity to address these issues and demonstrate our commitment to meeting the needs of the community.

“Our activity has focused on violence and antisocial behaviour.

“Through targeted action we made a number of significant arrests, while at the same time offering vital information to the public on how to keep themselves safe and gaining further intelligence to inform our policing activities.”

South Wales Police say their aim was to reduce fear of crime among communities, as local residents identified anti-social behaviour as a large concern with a number of areas identified as causing particular problems.

'Our communities should feel safe'

A high visibility-patrol of the force’s mounted section directly resulted in two arrests, while its neighbourhood and community safety teams held crime prevention roadshows and undertook targeted patrols to issue advice to residents.